


in so many words

by asideofourown



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: 5+1 Things, Aziraphale Is Trying (Good Omens), Crowley is Bad at Being a Demon (Good Omens), Don't copy to another site, First Kiss, Love Confessions, M/M, Pining, Post-Canon, Protective Aziraphale (Good Omens), South Downs Cottage (Good Omens)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-29
Updated: 2019-11-29
Packaged: 2021-01-25 03:15:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21349336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asideofourown/pseuds/asideofourown
Summary: When they got back to the bookshop Crowley got out of the car to walk Aziraphale to the door, and they lingered for a moment on the stoop.  “Thank you for dinner, my dear,” Aziraphale said quietly, reaching out to take Crowley’s hands again.  “I had a lovely time.”“So did I,” Crowley replied.  He didn’t lift his eyes from their hands, but there was a nervous edge to his voice as he said, “Aziraphale?”“Yes, dear?” Aziraphale whispered.He could feel Crowley’s hands shaking just slightly in his, but Crowley’s voice was steady when he said, “I love you, you know.”Aziraphale’s breath caught in his throat, and he was nearly certain his heart skipped a beat.  “Thank you,” he blurted, and then closed his eyes in mortification.  “Oh,good lord.”[5 times Aziraphale couldn't sayI love you+ 1 time he finally did]
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Comments: 78
Kudos: 803





	in so many words

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy!

** _1\. thank you_ **

Crowley and Aziraphale were dining at the Ritz.

It was not, by any metric, the first time they had done so— they had been going out together for millennia, and had frequented the Ritz since the 1970s.It wasn’t even the first time since the averted Apocalypse, when he and Crowley had eaten together still giddy with their victories against Heaven and Hell’sbotched trials.It had been a few weeks since everything that had gone down in Tadfield, and while Aziraphale still found himself looking over his shoulder sometimes, he was _finally_ beginning to relax.

They were just finishing their dessert course (or rather, Aziraphale was— Crowley had declined a dessert in favor of an espresso, even though he kept trying to steal bits of Aziraphale’s cake) when Crowley said with a slightly nervous smile, “Hey, angel?”

Aziraphale looked up, swallowed the bite in his mouth.“Yes, my dear?”

Crowley fiddled with his fork.“Just.I want to make sure we’re on the same page before I stick my foot too far up my ass,” he said quietly.“This is a date, right?We’re dating?”

Aziraphale took a deep breath, dabbed at his mouth with his napkin to give himself a moment to think.“Many of the things we do together could reasonably be construed as dates,” he said calmly, gazing across the table at Crowley.“If you follow that line of thinking, we’ve been dating for quite a long time.Even if we couldn’t exactly say so.”

Crowley grinned slowly.His hand inched a little closer, close enough that Aziraphale could reasonably justify taking it.“You figure, angel?” Crowley said softly.His words were teasing, but there was nothing but fondness in his expression.

“I do,” Aziraphale replied.He took a deep breath, gathered his courage.Old habits were hard to break, after all, especially habits forged by several thousand years of waiting in fear to be struck down by a higher authority if he stepped too far out of line.“I think I rather like that idea,” Aziraphale murmured.“The idea that we’ve been together for a long time.”

Crowley squeezed his fingers.“So do I,” he breathed.

They held hands through the rest of their meal, and their fingers were still laced together as they left the Ritz.Aziraphale only let go when they got in the car, insisting that Crowley drive with two hands, an idea Crowley acquiesced to only very reluctantly.

When they got back to the bookshop Crowley got out of the car to walk Aziraphale to the door, and they lingered for a moment on the stoop.“Thank you for dinner, my dear,” Aziraphale said quietly, reaching out to take Crowley’s hands again.“I had a lovely time.”

“So did I,” Crowley replied.He didn’t lift his eyes from their hands, but there was a nervous edge to his voice as he said, “Aziraphale?”

“Yes, dear?” Aziraphale whispered.

He could feel Crowley’s hands shaking just slightly in his, but Crowley’s voice was steady when he said, “I love you, you know.”

Aziraphale’s breath caught in his throat, and he was nearly certain his heart skipped a beat.“Thank you,” he blurted, and then closed his eyes in mortification.“Oh, good _lord.”_He took a deep breath, exhaled slowly.

_I love you too,_ he should say._I’ve loved you for centuries, Crowley, and I’ll love you for every century to come._But he… he couldn’t.The words had been on his tongue for thousands of years, but those thousands of years had been spent denying his feelings, pretending he didn’t even like Crowley, to keep both of them safe.It wasn’t something he could just say out loud without a thought.

The thing was, Heaven was aware of love.That was part of their job.Heaven was aware of every _I love you_ spoken in the same way that a copyright holder is aware of every time someone uses their intellectual property— they’re not immediately alerted every time, but records are most certainly kept.So it would be incredibly dangerous for Aziraphale to say _those words_ to a being that was supposed to be his hereditary enemy.

Or, at least… it _would have_ been incredibly dangerous.

Past tense.

Before they parted from Heaven and Hell and decided to be on their own side.But those old habits, those old fears, and their refusal to just _go away_ stilled his tongue.

When Aziraphale opened his eyes he didn’t find a sad Crowley, or an angry Crowley, as he had expected (and Crowley would have every right— he had bared his soul, made himself vulnerable, and Aziraphale had replied with a bloody _thanks)_.Instead, he found Crowley smiling gently at him.

Crowley brushed over the back of his hand with his thumb.“Please tell me if I’m going too fast,” he said softly, and Aziraphale mutely shook his head.

“You’re… you’re not,” he whispered.“Crowley, I—”He cut himself off.

Crowley nodded.“I understand,” he said gently.“Please, angel, trust me.I do.”

Aziraphale swallowed hard.“I’m sorry,” he said._I love you,_ he wanted to add, but the words wouldn’t come.

Crowley shook his head.He let go of one of Aziraphale’s hands just long enough to pull off his sunglasses, letting them dangle from his fingers.“Please don’t apologize,” he said.“You haven’t got anything to be sorry for.”

Aziraphale exhaled shakily and then shuffled a little closer.He resisted the urge to look around to see if they were being watched before he brushed a kiss over Crowley’s cheek.“Thank you,” he said, and he hoped that Crowley could hear the _I love you_ in his words.

Crowley smiled a little crookedly, slipped his glasses back on.“I’ll see you later this week, angel?” he said, his voice more or less back to normal.

Aziraphale nodded, straightening.“Lunch Thursday?” he suggested.“There’s a new Indian place I’d like to try, if you’re amenable.”

“Sounds good,” Crowley said with a nod.He seemed to be bracing himself before he gave Aziraphale a peck on the cheek.“See you then.”

“Drive safe,” Aziraphale called as Crowley swaggered back down the stairs to his car.Crowley lifted a hand in a wave without looking back, and Aziraphale watched with a tiny, sad smile as he drove away.

“I… Crowley, I…” he tried to practice._Crowley, I love you._He knew the words, in his heart, in his mind.

If only he could get his tongue to say them without fear.

* * *

** _2\. i know_ **

Crowley was making a nuisance of himself, but Aziraphale couldn’t really find it in himself to mind all that much.After all, he _was_ scaring the legitimate customers away, and was leaving the various others (students, mostly, who liked to study without buying things) alone.

Aziraphale looked up from his book to see Crowley flop into one of the armchairs in the middle of the bookshop, and then drag the chair loudly across the floor to where a customer was browsing the shelves.“Whatcha looking at?” Crowley drawled, and blew a bubble in the gum he was chewing.

The customer, who was dangerously close to Aziraphale’s prized Wildes, gave Crowley a wary look.“I’m just browsing,” they said slowly.

Crowley kicked his boots up to rest on the shelf perilously close to where their hands had just been, and Aziraphale was touched to see that he very carefully avoided knocking any of the books.“Oh, yeah?Want a recommendation?”

“I suppose,” the customer said cautiously.

Crowley snapped his gum again and then reached for the display behind himself without looking, grabbing a book off the top of a pile.Aziraphale hid a smile.Crowley had suggested a few titles he could keep in stock that he was willing to sell, but that Crowley had claimed most people wouldn’t actually want to buy, and that was the pile Crowley was good enough to draw from.“Here you are,” Crowley said casually, handing the book to the customer.“Best thing in this place.Wouldn’t recommend anything else.”

The customer looked down at the book with barely concealed distaste.“This isn’t exactly… what I’m looking for,” they said, and hurriedly handed the book back.“I’ve got to go.”

Crowley took the book back and watched with a smirk as they left before getting off his armchair and sidling over to Aziraphale.“How’s it going, angel,” he said with a smile, snapping his fingers to miracle up another chair before flopping down next to Aziraphale.

“Thank you, dear,” Aziraphale said, closing the book he was reading around one finger.“I was getting worried they might try to buy what they were looking at.”

Crowley gave him a rare, soppy smile.“Anything for you, Aziraphale,” he said, and then slouched down in his chair and kicked his legs out, crossing them at the ankles.“Besides, I’m being a pest, I figure that’s properly demonic.”

Aziraphale gave him a soppy smile to match.“I’d expect so, yes.And you’re doing a lovely job of being, er, not lovely.”

“Ooh, keep talking, angel,” Crowley purred teasingly, resting his elbow on one arm of the chair and his chin in his hand.“It really gets me going.”

“Oh, you,” Aziraphale said, flustered.He swatted at Crowley’s shoulder, and Crowley laughed.

“Have you got another target?” he asked.

Aziraphale glanced around at the bookshop.There were two university students studying together at a table a little ways away, and another man that Aziraphale recognized as a regular from the coffee shop down the street who liked to come in and browse during his breaks, but there was a woman getting dangerously close to his Austens.“I object to the use of the word _target,” _Aziraphale said a little fussily, even as his eyes darted towards the Austens again.

Crowley smirked.“Right.”He hopped up, planted a kiss on Aziraphale’s forehead.“Love you, angel.”

Aziraphale blushed up to his ears.“You old serpent!” he said, and then a little quieter, added, “I know.”Crowley just smiled, hooking his thumbs in his pockets.

“Nice _Star Wars_ reference, Mr. Fell,” one of the students called from their table.Aziraphale blinked, politely confused.

“It’s a film, angel, I’ll show it to you sometime,” Crowley said as he walked backwards, deftly dodging a pile of books in the middle of the floor.“Although I’d rather put _myself_ as Han Solo, being the handsome, roguish bad boy in our relationship.”

Aziraphale had to roll his eyes at that.“If it makes you feel better, my dear,” he said with a laugh.Crowley winked, a gesture clear even from behind his sunglasses, and then wandered away to scare off the next customer that threatened to try to buy Aziraphale’s wares.

Aziraphale smiled, looking back down at his book, and tried not to glow with affection _too_ obviously.

* * *

** _3\. i have quite the regard for you as well_ **

Aziraphale and Crowley were having a picnic in the park on one of November’s last surprisingly pleasant days when the demons attacked.

One moment they were enjoying each other’s company in the weak strains of the late autumn sun, and the next a demon loomed over Aziraphale while another had grabbed Crowley by the back of his jacket and was dragging him off their picnic blanket.

“Don’t like what you did, averting the Apocalypse,” one of the demons said, eyes smoldering with Hellfire.

“OI!” Crowley shouted, wriggling around like a snake, kicking and scratching and biting.Aziraphale shuffled back in surprise, spilling his thermos of tea.

“Angel, run!” Crowley added, and then yelped as the demon restraining him kneed him in the ribs.Aziraphale scrambled to his feet, trying to take stock of the situation.Four demons surrounded them, two of them holding Crowley back and the other two advancing on Aziraphale.

Righteous rage flared in Aziraphale’s chest, and before he knew what he was doing he was glowing with Heavenly light.“Let go of him,” he ordered, and he could feel his wings opening behind him.

The demons sneered, even as they squinted in the face of his light.“Beelz wants to dump him in Holy Water, give it another go,” one said.“Even if he doesn’t melt, maybe he’ll drown.”

Aziraphale saw _red_.

**LET GO OF HIM,** he roared, raising one hand, and he felt the familiar hilt of his sword appear in his palm.

The demons cowered back in spite of themselves, and one of them shouted, “No one said he was a bloody warrior!”

Shining with Divine Wrath and Holy Flame, Aziraphale struck out at one of the demons with his sword.The point just barely, intentionally missed— his one warning.

**LEAVE AND DO NOT COME BACK,** he ordered, and three of the demons sunk into the ground and returned to Hell.The fourth received a kick on the shin and a punch in the nose from an irate Crowley before managing to escape, disappearing with a pop and a puff of brimstone.

Aziraphale immediately dialed back his angelic fury and miracled away his sword, dropping to his knees beside Crowley.“My dear, are you alright?” he said frantically.

Crowley propped himself up on one elbow with a grunt and wiped some demon slime from his face.“Yeah, fine, fine,” he said, and then scowled.“The nerve, interrupting our _picnic.”_

Aziraphale smiled a little tentatively, still hovering.“You’re not hurt, are you?” he said.

Crowley passed a hand over his torso, and Aziraphale sensed a little tingle of demonic energy before Crowley replied, “Right as rain.Could have been worse.”He smiled up at Aziraphale and sat up properly.“Wow, Aziraphale, I haven’t seen you go that Divine in, what.Three thousand years?”

Aziraphale pursed his lips.“It has been a while, yes.”

Crowley grinned.“Whoo-_ee_.”

Aziraphale sighed, adjusting his bowtie.“I do hope too many people didn’t see,” he fretted.

Crowley snapped his fingers, the demonic miracle rippling across the park.“No longer an issue.”He sobered.“Angel, are you alright?”

“I don’t like doing that,” Aziraphale murmured.“I suppose it was necessary, but… it’s not _me.”_

Crowley leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek.“Still, appreciate it,” he said, and then added, “Of course, I _could_ have taken them all on with my hands tied behind my back, but the assistance was appreciated.”

Aziraphale chuckled slightly in spite of himself.“Could you have, now,” he said teasingly.

Crowley smiled broadly.“Gosh, I love you,” he said a little breathlessly.

Aziraphale took a short breath.“I… I have quite the regard for you as well,” he said.

Crowley scooted back onto the blanket and miracled Aziraphale’s tea back into his thermos.“There you are,” he said softly, handing Aziraphale his drink.“Where were we?”

Aziraphale beamed at him, accepting the tea and taking a long sip— Crowley had been so kind as to warm it up for him as well.“Thank you, dearest,” he said happily.“Ah, where were we, you asked?I believe you were telling me about your scheme with the London Eye?”

“Ah, yes,” Crowley said, leaning back and stretching out his legs.“Now, once the geese are in place, my plan is to…”

Aziraphale smiled as he listened to Crowley talk, filled to the brim with love that felt closer to the surface than ever.And from the quirk of Crowley’s lips, the way his face was turned unabashedly towards Aziraphale, his lingering touches and soft brushes and gentle nudges, Aziraphale knew he could tell.

* * *

** _4\. i feel the same_ **

It was starting to get cold, and that brought out more of the snake in Crowley than usual.As the days grew shorter and the nights chillier, Crowley wandered into Aziraphale’s bookshop more and more often with mumbled excuses about how it was warmer than his flat, and Aziraphale had better alcohol anyway.

One evening in early January found the two of them together, cuddling on the couch in the back room of the bookshop.Aziraphale was reading a book and absently sipping a glass of wine, and Crowley was curled up against him, half asleep under the quilt Aziraphale had miracled for him.

Crowley shifted slightly so that his head rested in Aziraphale’s lap, and Aziraphale looked away from his book to smile down at his demon.“Hello, dear.”

Crowley blinked sleepily up at him.He had taken his sunglasses off when he had arrived, so Aziraphale could see his beautiful eyes without any barrier.“Hey, angel,” he said, nuzzling his cheek against Aziraphale’s thigh, his fingers curling around the hem of the blanket to draw it up over his shoulders a little bit more.“Mm, you’re warm.”

Aziraphale smiled fondly, so full of affection that he felt his heart would burst.He rested his book on his opposite knee, freeing one hand to carefully card through Crowley’s hair.He had been growing it out again since the failed Apocalypse, and it was nearly to his shoulders.Aziraphale was secretly pleased— he cared for Crowley in every permutation, of course, but he had always looked extraordinarily lovely with long hair.

“That feels nice,” Crowley sighed, his eyes closing again as he leaned into Aziraphale’s touch.

“I’m glad,” Aziraphale replied.He brushed Crowley’s hair out of his eyes, gently ran his fingertips over the tattoo by Crowley’s ear.“I’m so glad you’re here with me, dearest.”

“Never thought I’d get to have this,” Crowley mumbled, and then opened his eyes again to gaze up at Aziraphale with unadulterated affection.“I love you, angel.”

Aziraphale started, and then tried to pretend like he hadn’t.He traced his fingers over Crowley’s tattoo again and then down the line of his jaw, brushing past his lips.“I feel the same,” he whispered.

Crowley smiled slightly.One of his hands wormed out from under the blanket to catch Aziraphale’s, and then Crowley kissed his fingertips.“I love you, and everything about you,” he said in that same soft, low voice.“I always have, and I always will.”

Aziraphale bent down, gave him a sweet kiss on the tip of his nose.“I feel the same,” he repeated, the words he really wanted to say but just _couldn’t_ beating hard against the prison of his ribcage, right beside his heart.“I always have, and I always will.”

Crowley reached out, cupped Aziraphale’s face in the palm of his hand.“Forever, then,” he said.“If you’d like.”

Aziraphale nodded.“Forever,” he agreed, and it sounded more like _I love you_ than ever before.

* * *

** _5\. i care deeply for you_ **

“You know,” Crowley said, coming up behind Aziraphale one morning in April and wrapping his arms around Aziraphale’s shoulders as he reshelved books at the back of his shop.

“What do I know?” Aziraphale asked, amused.He leaned his head back, resting it against Crowley’s shoulder as Crowley all but plastered himself against his back.

“It’s mid-April,” Crowley said thoughtfully.“Around this time of year in 1020…”

“We began the Arrangement!” Aziraphale gasped.He shelved his last book and then turned in Crowley’s arms so that they were nose to nose.“Oh, dearest, does that mean it’s been one thousand years?”

Crowley smiled, leaned in to give Aziraphale a quick kiss on the lips.“Give or take.”He wrinkled his nose.“I can’t remember the exact day, come to think.”

“That’s quite alright,” Aziraphale said quickly.“Oh, Crowley darling, we ought to do something to celebrate!Have you any ideas?”

Crowley shrugged.“Nothing in particular, no.”He smiled just slightly.“I’ll take you anywhere you want to go, angel.”

Aziraphale cupped Crowley’s face in both hands and gave him a sweet kiss.“We could go out for the day?” he suggested.“Maybe a drive, or a picnic?”

“Sounds alright,” Crowley replied.“Anywhere in particular you want to go?”

Aziraphale considered that for a long moment.“Maybe we could drive down to the south coast?” he suggested.“I hear the Downs are nice this time of year.Unless you’d rather go somewhere like Tadfield?”

Crowley wrinkled his nose.“Nothing against it,” he said slowly.“But I don’t particularly want to think about the Apocalypse on our anniversary.South Downs sounds good, I can get us there in half an hour.”

“You most certainly cannot,” Aziraphale replied immediately.Crowley pouted at him, but Aziraphale didn’t budge.“Dearest, I’m ever so fond of you, but we are _not_ driving one hundred and eighty kilometers an hour.”

“Spoilsport,” Crowley muttered, but there was no bite to his words.

Aziraphale kissed him on the tip of the nose, rather enjoying the way his demon went pink.“Shall I pack us a picnic?” he asked brightly.

Crowley smiled a little reluctantly back.“I can handle the alcohol,” he said.“Champagne, I think, is in order.”Aziraphale beamed.

In the end, it took the two of them about two hours to gather their things and drive to the coast— still a bit faster than Aziraphale would have liked, in terms of Crowley’s driving, but their relationship was one of compromise.They found a nice little place overlooking the sea to set up their picnic, just outside of a charming little village, and settled in to eat.

Aziraphale dug in to his lunch immediately, trying to enjoy the food and not think too hard about a certain sign he had seen outside one of the cottages at the edge of the village.Crowley mostly picked at his lunch, shooting frequent, smitten looks in Aziraphale’s direction, and Aziraphale couldn’t help but send back just as many.

Crowley looked as lovely as always, his hair bright in the sun and his sunglasses tucked away, leaving his golden eyes shining and uncovered.Aziraphale loved the way he gestured as he talked about his latest schemes, the way his voice rose and fell, the way he smiled unabashedly.He could feel waves and waves of affection rolling off his demon, and hoped that he was giving off _just_ as much love in return.

When they had finished eating, Aziraphale said with a happy smile, “That was absolutely scrummy, darling.”

Crowley reached out and took his hand, lacing their fingers together.He was blushing just slightly as he looked out over the sea.“What would you like to do now, angel?” he asked.

Aziraphale snapped his fingers, vanishing the rest of their picnic supplies back to the car, and then scooted a little closer to where Crowley was sprawled out on the blanket.He carefully slid his free arm around Crowley’s waist, pulling him close, and Crowley relaxed against his side.“This is nice,” Aziraphale said softly.

“Mm-hm,” Crowley murmured in agreement.He rested his head on Aziraphale’s shoulder, and Aziraphale gently leaned his cheek against the top of Crowley’s head, letting his eyes close as they simply soaked in each other’s presence.

“My darling,” Aziraphale said softly after a long while.“I’ve been thinking.”

“Hm, that’s a recipe for disaster,” Crowley teased.

“Oh, it’s not like I’m you,” Aziraphale shot back, a smile playing at his lips.“Anyway.There was, ah.A _For Sale_ sign outside one of the little cottages we passed on our way out here.And it got me thinking about, well.Us.”

Crowley stiffened just slightly, and looked up at Aziraphale with wide eyes.“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” he asked in a hushed voice.

Aziraphale bit his lip anxiously, and steeled himself before he said, “Crowley, dearest, would you be at all interested in moving in together?I know it’s a very _human_ milestone, and one that may not even be practical for us— and it doesn’t have to be _here_, I’m happy to go anywhere you like— and—”

“Yes,” Crowley interrupted.“Angel, yes, of course.I’d love to move in with you!”He was grinning at Aziraphale, wide and giddy, and Aziraphale slowly found himself smiling back.“I can have a proper garden,” Crowley said, his gaze far away.“And you can have a library, you won’t have to pretend to want to sell any of your books... and we can wake up next to each other every morning and fall asleep next to each other every night and...”He focused in on Aziraphale again.“Fuck, angel, I love you._So_ much.”

“I care so, so deeply for you,” Aziraphale replied softly, and then his lips twisted in frustration.

Crowley frowned worriedly.“What’s the matter?”

“I’m sorry,” Aziraphale said in a rush, his irritation with his own _stupid_ hang-ups spilling over.“Crowley, I’m sorry, I’m sorry I can’t say it back yet, I don’t know why— I _feel_ it, I do, I just can’t say the _damned_ words—“

“Angel,” Crowley murmured.His fingers brushed over Aziraphale’s cheek, achingly tender.“Aziraphale, you don’t need to,” he said.Aziraphale frowned, confused, and Crowley scowled to himself.

“Fuck, I mean—“ he started.“I mean, just— you say it other ways, you know?The way you smile at me, hold my hand, let me hang around your shop even though I interrupt your reading, the way you know my favorite song and favorite drink and favorite holiday, the way you hold me when it’s cold or know when I’m having a rough day and need a hug or drink with me and we can talk about whatever pointless shit we want without getting bored.The way you go to every length to care for me in every way you can, and let me care about you in return.The way you chose _me_, when it mattered, even though it was dangerous, even though you stood to lose everything.Those three words, I love you?It’s only one more way to show you care about me, one way on top of _millions_.”

“Oh, dearest,” Aziraphale whispered, tearing up.

Crowley pulled him into a hug, holding him close, and Aziraphale all but melted into him._I love you_, he mouthed wordlessly against Crowley’s shoulder, overcome.

Crowley squeezed him tight, and Aziraphale knew he understood. 

* * *

_ **+1 i love you too** _

Unusually, Aziraphale was the second to wake one morning in June, and Crowley was already out of bed by the time he decided to get up.Aziraphale had gotten in the habit of sleeping since they had moved into their little cottage together— it was much easier to drift off with his beloved in his arms, after all.

Aziraphale pulled on his tartan dressing gown over his pajamas (one of Crowley’s t-shirts and soft flannel pants) before wandering out of the bedroom to find a tray of warm muffins sitting on the kitchen counter and his demon visible in the garden outside through the window over the sink.Aziraphale helped himself to a muffin with a smile and then padded outside, careless of the dew that collected on the toes of his slippers.

“Good morning, my dear,” he said as he approached, and Crowley looked up from the lilies he was bullying with a smile.

“Hey, angel,” he said, tilting his face up for a kiss, and Aziraphale happily provided him with one.

“You’re up early,” he said when they parted, and took a bite of his muffin.

Crowley shrugged loosely and sat back on his heels, dusting off his hands.“Bloody rooster next house over woke me up,” he grouched.“It didn’t take my rooster stew threats seriously, it seems I need to escalate.”

“I don’t believe rooster stew is real, my darling,” Aziraphale said with an indulgent smile.

“Hasn’t stopped me before,” Crowley said darkly.He gave his lilies one last dangerous glare before getting to his feet.“Muffin alright?” he asked.“They were a bit burnt when I took them out.”

“They’re delightful, Crowley,” Aziraphale said with a smile, taking another bite.

Crowley sidled closer, reaching out to rest a hand on Aziraphale’s shoulder.“I was thinking of you,” he said flirtatiously, and since he wasn’t wearing his sunglasses Aziraphale could see when he winked.“Made ‘em with love, if you can—“

Next door, the neighbor’s rooster began to crow.Crowley’s expression darkened, and he turned on his heel.“Oi!” he exclaimed, stalking towards the fence.“Shut it, can’t you tell I’m trying to flirt?D’you know what snakes do to annoying roostersss?”He hissed at the rooster over the fence, his forked tongue darting out of his mouth.

Aziraphale laughed.“Come now, darling, it can’t understand you,” he said, reaching out an arm.

Crowley huffed and returned to his side, letting Aziraphale hug him.“Fowls of all kinds have had it out for me since the Ark,” he groused.

Aziraphale gave him a mischievous little smile.“Maybe it’s because you’re such a _fowl_ fiend,” he said, extremely pleased.

Crowley blinked at him, and then groaned loudly.“Angel, I love you,” he said, dropping his head to rest against Aziraphale’s shoulder.“But that was _truly_ terrible.”

Aziraphale’s heart thudded in his chest, and his breath felt a little short, and his stomach churned nervously, and he felt hot all over.But when he opened his mouth, no longer did he find the words he wanted to say stuck in the back of his throat or on the very tip of his tongue, mired in the muck of his fears and anxieties and blasted habits.He was filled only with overwhelming love for Crowley, and the unstoppable urge to finally, _finally_ say so out loud.So he said, “I love you too, Crowley.”

Crowley’s head shot up so fast he almost hit Aziraphale in the chin.“Aziraphale— you, you—“ he started.

Aziraphale smiled a little nervously, but repeated in a quiet voice, “I love you too, Crowley.”He inhaled sharply with barely contained delight, and gripped Crowley’s arms.“I love you!Crowley, I love you, I love you so much, I love you more than anything.”

Crowley stared at him, and then grinned so wide and bright he nearly outshone the sun.“I love you too, angel,” he said.“I love you so much.”

Aziraphale kissed him, filled with giddy joy and bursting with affection.“I love you,” he whispered.“And I never want to stop saying so.”

Crowley gave him a crooked smile.“Then don’t,” he replied.

Aziraphale beamed, kissed him once more.“I love you,” he said, the words sweeter on his tongue than any crepe, headier than any wine.“And I’m never going to stop.”

Crowley smiled back.“I love you too.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you ever so much for reading! I'm [here](https://asideofourown.tumblr.com/) if that's something you're into


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